shortlineflyer - 20-8-2015 at 07:27 AM
I make kites as well as fly them and was wondering why no one has ever made a SUL kite out of something like PC-31/icarex. since it only weighs .5 oz
for sqyd it seems like that would be the ideal material for light wind. the lightest material I have seen so far it the material used for the HQ
Matrix II
B-Roc - 20-8-2015 at 09:44 AM
I'm thinking durability (tabs popping in extreme use) and porosity (over time with exposure to sun / cold, etc.) may be a reason. if someone did
release a SUL sail (say FS) you can bet they would charge an arm and a leg (ref: Speed, Ozone Chrono, etc.). That's just my $0.02 (and I got into the
kiting world back in 1993 with SULs and dual line flying)
indigo_wolf - 20-8-2015 at 10:53 AM
What Brian said.... Ozone and Flysurfer already make kites that are available in standard vs UL skins (FS Deluxe models and kites like the Summit
which can be purchased with a premium canopy material).
I expect the stresses that a dual SUL faces are considerably less that what a typical foil would have to endure.
Also factor in several hundred dollars replacement cost for a dual line vs a foil that would cost another order of magnitude.
ATB,
Sam